Republicans are cooling toward tea-party activists

February 10, 2013|By Scott Powers, Orlando Sentinel

The romance between Florida Republicans and various tea-party groups, which reached its zenith when Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his first state budget to a tea-party crowd in 2011, has clearly cooled. And tea-party activists are feeling left out — if not spurned.

The past seven months have not been kind to the movement that once was seen as a fresh base of ideas and volunteers for Republicans.

It was all but shunned at August's Republican National Convention — and by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. And it's been increasingly marginalized by key Republicans since the Nov. 6 general election returned President Barack Obama to the White House and brought down numerous tea-party-backed congressional candidates, such as U.S. Rep. Allen West of Plantation and, locally, Todd Long.

The cruelest blow may have come from Gov. Rick Scott, who in 2011 unveiled a budget featuring nearly $4 billion in cuts — $1.5 billion to education alone — to fervent tea-party applause in Eustis and The Villages. This year, Scott is asking for a $74.2 billion budget — a 6 percent increase — that includes raises for teachers, bonuses for state employees and increased money for everything from roads to conservation.

"What in the world happened with Gov. Scott's budget proposal?" said Jason Hoyt, an organizer with several Orange County tea parties. "It just baffles my mind."

If some are baffled, others are bitter. Said Karin Hoffman, founder of DC Works For Us in Fort Lauderdale, who organized a tea-party conference attended by 220 activists in Orlando in January, "There's a, 'If you are not going to listen, we will go away from the party,' attitude emerging. So that's kind of where it is."

And resentful: "I think these guys are terrified," John Long, chairman of the Florida Tea Party, said of GOP leaders. "November 6th didn't go well, and rather than look inside and say, 'What did we do wrong?' they are looking around them and saying, 'Who can we blame?' It's kind of issue du jour to blame the tea party."

Nationally, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner purged House leadership ranks of tea-party favorites. GOP campaign rainmaker Karl Rove vowed to use "super PAC" power to stop extreme tea-party candidates in party primaries. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a tea-party darling, is now pressing for immigration reform that includes allowing 11 million illegal immigrants to remain in the country.

And in Florida, Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, responded to tea-party demands that Florida fight Obamacare using states-rights "nullification" strategies with an anecdote about Andrew Jackson's supposed reaction when told that "nullifiers" were threatening to burn down the White House.

"Without lifting his head from his reading, Andrew Jackson said, 'Shoot the first nullifier who touches the Flag. And hang the rest.'" Gaetz wrote to tea-party attorney KrisAnne Hall.

"… I have sworn an oath on my father's Bible before Almighty God to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and government of the United States. And that's exactly what I intend to do. Count me with Andrew Jackson."

Still, local GOP officials insist tea-party members constitute an important part of the party's base — and that no Republican candidate would dare seek office without meeting with them.

"The tea-party movement within the Republican Party, as a source of volunteers, candidates, energy and ideas, remains very much alive," said Orange County Republican Chairman Lew Oliver.

And that may be where the tea party focuses next: locally. Lake County tea parties have succeeded in electing local officials such as County Commissioner Leslie Campione, and parties in Orlando, Jacksonville and elsewhere are likewise turning attention to local races.

"The indicator of just how much punch they have is the degree to which they still mobilize in local elections that will be coming up in the next year," said Rollins College political scientist Don Davison, who has researched the movement. "I think that is going to be a proxy of what will happen in the next round of congressional elections."

There is a lot of talk among both tea party and Republican leaders about refocusing on fundamental tea-party issues such as limited government, lower taxes and reducing government debt. To that end, Republican leaders say they will continue to seek and welcome tea-party support.

"If they can remain focused on that, then they'll have a huge coalition of people with them," said Republican Party of Florida chairman Lenny Curry. "You can't be all things to all people. You've got to stay focused."

If that sounds like, "Stick to the issues we agree on and we'll get along fine," some tea-party groups aren't having it. Many of the issues that Republican leaders are dismissing — from nullification to dealing harshly with illegal immigrants to opposing "Agenda 21," a theory that the United Nations is trying to Europeanize the United States — remain the focus of many tea-party activists.

Oliver shrugs, saying every party has people interested in "fringe" issues.

"I tell people, 'Hey, we don't have to agree on all of these issues," he said.